DU PLOOY QUITS BOUT WITH SNIPES

Du Plooy, a South African, lived up to his billing as one of the hardest young punchers in the heavyweight game as he continually rocked Snipes in the first three rounds.But the 32-year-old Snipes toed up with Du Plooy in the middle of the ring and against the ropes, where they battered away at each other much to the delight of the crowd.

Snipes, who suffered a cut to the inside of his lip, was in excellent shape. By the fifth round both fighters were locked together against the ropes, occasionally freeing a hand to land a body shot.

In the seventh round, both fighters pummeled away at each other, with Snipes bleeding profusely from a cut on the inside of his lip.

Du Plooy slipped to the canvas in the seventh round after referee Dick Bartman parted the two fighters. The South African crawled a few paces and then got up and walked to his corner.